Sewing and Life Outside the Deep South

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Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We had two, one Thursday with my family, and one Friday with Ben’s. Oooo, I’m so stuffed still!

And now, because I know you are all dying to know all the details on my new sewing machine, here’s a whole post about it!

After much researching, saving, and many gifts (thank you!), my new baby is nestled in its home in my sewing room: a Janome HD3000. It’s supposed to be a heavy duty machine, so I’m expecting it to work long and hard. It has a few more functions than my previous machines – it has 18 stitches, an automatic 1-step buttonhole, and needle threader.

The Saturday the machine came, I literally sat at the house all day waiting for the UPS guy to come by. I knew they wouldn’t leave it if I wasn’t there, so I sat by the window to make sure I didn’t miss them. When it finally came, with the giddiness of a 5 year old on Christmas morning, I opened all the packaging. Ben was there to temper me and make sure I didn’t get over eager and mess anything up. So, slow and steady, I got to check out my machine.

I made the decision to go with a brand other than Singer. While it’s such an established household name, it seems (based on my experience and research) that it has gone downhill in the past few decades. I discovered Janome, which, based on personal opinions, research and reviews, appears to be a great brand within a reasonable price range.

Next, I decided to go with a mechanical machine, as opposed to a computerized one. For the budget range I was looking in, I could have gotten a low-end computerized machine. But I decided I would rather have a quality mechanical machine than a low-end computerized one.

It has an awesome storage compartment on top where each presser foot has its very own spot to go. As an overly organized person, this makes me very happy. And the lid of the storage compartment has a cheat sheet for the necessary machine settings for each type of stitch. This is great so I don’t have to get the manual out to look up the settings every time I switch between stitches.

This is the needle threader. It’s a contraption that you pull down to the needle, weave the thread around, and then push a button, and it pokes the thread through the eye of the needle. While it sounds really cool, I’ve found it doesn’t always work. This could be from user error, but as it’s not a necessary thing, I just don’t bother with it. It was certainly not the reason I got the machine, and it in no way diminishes my good impression of the machine. Maybe when my eyesight gets worse it will come in handy and I’ll figure it out.

It has a top-loading bobbin with a see-through cover. The cover even has a picture of the correct way to load the bobbin, which is good cause sometimes I just forget. And the throat plate has lots of measurements markings, which is very handy as well.

Overall I’m am so thrilled with my machine! No fancy doohickies, but lots of practical little bits. The first thing I made with it were the ear warmers for my grandmother. Perhaps starting out with fleece wasn’t the best idea, but it worked beautifully. I’ve also sewn with sweater knit and cotton, and had no problems. And, while not necessary, the extra stitches include some stretch stitches that are very helpful when working with knits.

I am looking forward to making Christmas gifts over the next month, and many more projects after that.

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26 thoughts on “My New Baby: Janome HD3000”

I have had the Janome hd-3000 for 1 1/2 years now, and very happy with it for wovens. I just started sewing a jersey knit top, fairly lightweight, and am having trouble with skipped stitches and breaking thread. I am using Gutterman thread and a jersey ball point needle 70/10, and when using stitch 14 and 12, I am having the skipping and breaking problem. Any tips or ideas?

hi , i just bought it online and i am not able to lift the presser foot higher it’s just 1 lift , i am not sure what’s going on , it is hd3000 but it says janome new home not just Janome like urs , can u help me please ??

I’m sorry I’ve never heard of a new home Janome machine. If it is similar to my machine, to raise the preset foot extra high you have to push and hold he lever that raises the preset foot. It doesn’t stay raised extra high without you holding it up

CMR – one other question about the Janome HD3000. You said you quilt. From the looks of the machine online, it doesn’t seem like there is too much throat space to bunch up a quilt if you are free motion quilting. My Brother SB3129 has about 7-1/2″ from the needle to the edge of the space and it doesn’t look like the Janome has that much space. Approximately how much throat space does the Janome HD3000 have? I couldn’t find the answer online. Thanks in advance.

Thanks much. I need a machine to be able to sew thick fabrics I use when making bags. My Brother SB3129 does not work well with thick fabrics, even using a jean-a-ma-jig/seam jumper. Most time the machine just jams and I can’t get it to sew through thick seams, so it is useless when trying to make my bags. So I’m guessing you’ve had luck sewing through thick fabrics.

Last year I bought a Brother SB3129 and it sews well, but has a difficult time with thick fabrics. Since I will be making purses, I need a machine that can sew through layers and layers of stiff fabric. Are there any adjustments you need in order to sew through layers of stiff, thick fabrics? Are there special needles you need to use? I’m contemplating getting a Janome HD3000 as a second machine. Still have to decide if it is worth getting a second machine. I need a sales pitch based on your experience.

Thank you for replying soon , reviews say that the stitch selector is hard to move (to rotate) and some say that when sewing straight , you get a fixed stitch length and claim that it wouldnt change stitch length , and say that stitch is really tiny and i do need that feature as i will be using it with vinyl for purses , about the needle threader does it not work at all or is just hard to deal with? And last question is that a lot of people claim that the bobbin winder doesnt work is this true or just user error ? Thanks a lot :)

The stitch selector wheel can be stiff but I’ve never had a problem getting it to the stitch I want. I’ve never had a problem with the stitch length – I can lengthen and shorten it, it doesn’t get stuck on one length. The needle threaded I haven’t used much. It worked most of the time but was more of a hassle than it was worth. It’s a matter of getting a tiny little wire to poke the thread just right through the eye of the needle. I’ve never had a problem with the bobbin winder, it works great. My machine is now almost 3 years old and it works wonderfully!

Just sharing another positive review on the Janome hd3000 – I purchased mine around Oct. of 2011 and it has worked perfectly for the past 2 years with no problems at all. It sews everything, upholstery, knit, fleece, plastic, paper, etc! I chose this one over the hd2000 as I was looking for a heavy mechanical machine with a few extra stitches (one is similar to a serger stitch). I bought it on-line so didn’t get to see a lot of its features or how it worked other than an online video I saw it sews nice and I love that it is not noisy!
Like the cover for storage and my only sort-of complaint is that I would have liked to be ALL metal and no plastic. But overall highly recommendable for beginners as well as advanced.

I recently bought the 3000 since I wanted a heavy mechanical machine. I bought it on-line so didn’t get to see a lot of its features or how it worked. The Janome brand seems to almost exclusively sold in the sewing stores and since it was highly recommended, I bought this one. The machine is very different than what I am used to as far as winding the bobbin. Another problem is trying to put the spool of thread down in the hole! Don’t like that at all. But it sews nice and not extremely noisy.
I recently found & bought a New Home machine at a thrift store, a mechanical, which except for the threading works the same as the 3000. But this machine is heavier, has less “plastic” parts to it, and is quieter in sewing. Too bad I didn’t find it sooner as I only paid $10.00 for it (in comparison to the several hundred for the 3000). This was a model 2015 sold in the 90’s. It was extremely clean. So now have two machines to work on.

I just saw this page. Very helpful. I am actually debating between the Janome HD 3000 and the Husquavarna Viking Emerald 118. I watched a video on the Janome on youtube….awesome!! The Janome can be bought anywhere online for $349 with free shipping…I am thinking if I get it I will get at Joann’s because they have a 90 return policy…and can take it to the store. What are your thoughts on the machine 15 months later? Are you still happy? I have a Sears Athena 2000 that is 31 years old. It works but is tempermental. It is one of the first computerized and now I want mechanical. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts. Thanx!!

My machine has been working beautifully! I still ove it the same as I did the day I took it out of the packaging. I’ve had no problems with it whatsoever. It took me a little while to get the hang of the automatic buttonhole, but I believe that was just me being a slow learner and not any problem with the machine. Hope taht helps in your decision!

I was wondering if you considered the HD1000 prior to buying the HD3000. If so, why did you go with the 3000 instead of the 1000 model? (I’m looking at both of these and don’t want something I don’t need–I’m just a beginner.)

I did actually consider both the HD1000 and HD3000. I decided on the 3000 because it has a top loading bobbin, 1 step button-hole, a few more stitches and it was only $50 more on Amazon where I bought it. There aren’t a ton of differences but for only $50 more it was worth it. Plus the 3000 has a handy top storage spot – just a small detail I like. I would suggest deciding whether you prefer a top-loading bobbin or a side-loading bobbin. Hope that helps!

Yes, that helps a great deal. Since this will be my first official machine, I don’t really know if I prefer a top loading bobbin or not. I sort of driving myself nuts–I keep looking at machines and saying, “But for $25/$50 more I get X, Y, and Z” and I keep looking at more and more expensive models. But thank you for the input
-Michael

Oh ok. Well, The HD3000 has a “jam-proof” top loading bobbin. While no bobbin is really jam-proof because of human error, the top-loading do seem to be easier to deal with. I personally love my HD3000, it’s great quality for the price, and I highly recommend it. Good luck shopping! Hope you find one you that works for you!

What did you do with your Singer 7105? I stumbled upon your blog while looking for a snap-in feed cover for my 7105. This is an accessory that originally came with my machine and snaps into the general purpose needle plate to cover the feed dogs. If you still have your machine/accessories I’d be willing to buy this part off you. My 7105 seems to be doing well thus far (except for this one misplaced part) so I don’t plan to retire her any time soon. Apparently, Singer no longer makes/sells this part and thus far I’ve been unsuccessful in tracking one down through eBay or locally. Thanks for your consideration.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m afraid I gave that machine back to its original owner, my mother, and I don’t think she’d be willing to part with that piece. So sorry I can’t help, but I hope you a able to find it!